Tablet adoption continues to increase, reaching 72% of U.S. broadband households in Q1 2016

New consumer research from Parks Associates finds a continued decline in the adoption rate for desktop computers. 360 View: CE Adoption & Trends reveals that since 2009, nearly one-third of U.S. broadband households have abandoned desktops as a platform. Only 6% of U.S. broadband households rely exclusively on desktops, while an additional 6% of households use only a combination of desktops and tablets.

“Desktop adoption has declined from a peak of 91% down to 61% of broadband households, and it will not recover, as just 12% of households bought a desktop in 2015. In its place, tablet adoption has moved upwards, reaching 72% at the start of 2016,” said Barbara Kraus, Director of Research, Parks Associates. “The adoption rate of tablets surpassed desktops in 2015. Moreover, the gap between laptop and tablet adoption is narrowing.”

360 View: CE Adoption & Trends examines consumer electronics purchase habits of U.S. broadband households, including smart watches, computers, streaming devices, gaming consoles, robotic floor cleaners, wearable cameras, drones, and emerging devices. The research also analyzes the consumer purchase process for CE devices. Additional research from the report shows:

• Nearly one-half of broadband households now own a smart TV, with one-third now owning a streaming media player.
• The adoption rate for Internet-connected audio systems remains low.
• More than one-third of broadband households connect a computer to a TV set.
• The adoption rate for Blu-ray players has stagnated.

“Consumers generally begin the CE purchase process with preconceived notions about a brand, and these have an enormous impact on the final purchase decision,” Kraus said. “Associating a brand with a product category may therefore be more important than associating it with specific products. CE manufacturers should keep this in mind as they design their marketing strategies and ensure that their messaging creates the desired reputation for their brands among consumers.”

More information about this 360 View is available at www.parksassociates.com. To schedule an interview with an analyst or to request specific data, contact Holly Sprague at hsprague@gmail.com, 720.987.6614.

About Parks Associates

Parks Associates, a woman-founded and certified business, is an internationally recognized market research and consulting company specializing in emerging consumer technology products and services. Founded in 1986, Parks Associates provides business intelligence and research services through its proprietary methodologies developed over decades, including quarterly surveys of 10,000 internet households.

The company's expertise crosses many industries: home security and smart home, streaming video, broadband and pay-TV services, digital media and platforms, gaming, Wi-Fi and home networks, connected health, support, consumer electronics, home control systems, energy management, and tech solutions for the multi-dwelling (MDU), small-to-medium business (SMB), and commercial building markets.

Each year, Parks Associates brings thousands of leaders together for its webinars and annual events. The firm hosts the annual executive research and strategy conferences CONNECTIONS™, Connected Health Summit, Smart Energy Summit, Smart Spaces, and Future of Video. https://www.parksassociates.com

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